The 17th edition of the European Football Championship has ended, its winner was the Spanish team. The tournament, which itself was not the most spectacular and eventful, brought together a number of players from whom much more was expected. About the main disappointments of the last Euro — in the material Sport.
Kylian Mbappe, France The star French forward has been recognized by many as the leading footballer of the generation and one of the most media players on the planet over the past few years. On the eve of the Euro, the figure of Mbappe “blew up” the media space when Real Madrid, after a protracted epic, finally announced the transfer of the striker from PSG.
It was expected that Kylian would mark his move to the Santiago Bernabeu with an impressive performance at the European Championship, but at the continental championship the Frenchman was remembered only for his broken nose, choice of a protective mask and political statements. From a football point of view, everything turned out to be sad: 9 shots on target out of 24, 1 goal (and that one from the penalty spot in the match with Poland), 2 assists. Other results were clearly expected from the most expensive player in the tournament (180 million euros, hereinafter — according to the Transfermarkt portal). At least in France, which was eliminated at the semi-final stage.
Antoine Griezmann, France Head coach of the French national team Didier Deschamps, explaining the reasons for his team's unsuccessful performance at the Euro, pointed to its lack of efficiency in attack. And if Mbappe had an excuse in the form of health problems, then Deschamps, who made Antoine a rotation player, said openly about Griezmann: “He did not show his best game.”. The Atletico Madrid star spent less time on the field at the tournament in Germany than the same Mbappe, although he played a match more. Effective actions — zero.
One unsuccessful tournament may ultimately put an end to Griezmann's performances for the French national team. In his home country, experts and journalists are increasingly saying that it is time for the 33-year-old striker to say goodbye to the national team and make way for players of the new generation.
Artem Dovbik, Ukraine The Ukrainian striker arrived at the Euro as the top scorer of the last edition of the Spanish Championship , in which his “Girona” became the main sensation of the championship and at some point even imposed competition on “Real” in the fight for gold. 24 goals and 8 assists in 36 matches were a strong argument for high expectations from Dovbik at the Euro.
However, at the tournament in Germany, the main hope of the Ukrainian national team frankly failed. Dovbik did not make a single effective action or even just a shot on target. If anyone does not feel a sense of disappointment from Artem’s performance at the Euro, it is the bosses of Girona — their work to keep the forward in their team and discourage potential buyers from taking the Ukrainian to their place has clearly diminished.
Cristiano Ronaldo, Portugal Although Cristiano has long been a football veteran who has lost the palm to the younger generation, even at 39 years old he remains on the radar of the whole world. Ronaldo himself, according to media reports, has not yet made a decision about his future in the national team, but this Euro was presented as the last major international tournament with the participation of Krish. The so-called «Last Dance» performed by one of the greatest players in the history of world football turned out to be depressing.
The point is not even that in five matches Ronaldo scored only one assist. The problem is much more global: Portugal’s game at the Euro was built around Cristiano alone, which prevented Roberto Martinez’s team from even getting to the medals. The Portuguese's low speed, lack of efficiency in dribbling and the final phases of the attack, as well as the constant presence in the offside position did not allow the entire team to realize their potential. Many of the stars of this team remained in the shadows through no fault of their own, but because the entire offense was about getting the ball to their captain. He openly squandered his chances.
Phil Foden, England The star Englishman arrived at Euro 2024 as one of the most expensive players in the tournament (150 million euros). However, at the championship the leader of Manchester City did not even resemble his shadow. Seven matches without scoring, a complete lack of efficiency in attack and a fiasco in the final. In England, Foden's terrible play is associated with the decisions of Gareth Southgate: the head coach of the English national team put him to play as a left attacking midfielder in support of Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, and in the final match lost to England he even forced him to play in three roles, whereas in Man City «Phil acts as a right winger, which helps the Citizens remain a leading club in Europe, and the footballer himself is recognized as the best player in the English Premier League.
““I’m disappointed, I won’t hide it. I want to act more useful for England, but it doesn’t work out. I didn’t become the best player in the Premier League in order to come to the Euro and not show it,” even Foden himself is convinced that his performance at the tournament is an exceptional failure.
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Romelu Lukaku, BelgiumRomelu Lukaku is the main Internet meme of the latest major tournaments on the international stage. For about a decade he was considered one of the main football prodigies on the planet, and over the following years he acquired impressive power in every sense of the word and posed a huge threat to the opponent's goal. However, like the entire Belgian national team, Romelu performed below all expectations at the next European Championship. Moreover, he appeared as the main assistant to the defenders of the opposing teams.
Lukaku not only failed to score a single goal against the opponents. He did everything to prevent his opponents from failing. Two goals scored by the Belgian were disallowed due to offside, and another was not counted at all because the ball hit Romelu's teammate in the hand. And this is not the first year that this has happened. Some kind of curse. Not otherwise.
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